Improvement in apparatus for tanning



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

Y JOHN ROBINSON, SAMUEL F. ROBINSON, AND CHRISTOPHER C. PUTNAM,

' OF SKOWHEGAN, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR TANNING.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 106,209, dated August 9, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN ROBiNsoN, SAMUEL F. RoBrNsoN, and CHRIsTOPHEE G. PUTNAM, of Skowhegan, in the county of Somerset and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tanning- Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawing,formingpart of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a machine for tanning hides, whereby the process of manufacturing leather is greatly facilitated; and it consists in atan- `ning-cylinder whose outer surface or periphery is formed of movable lags or bars separated by narrow spaces and provided with brads, from which the hides to be tanned are suspended on the inside of the cylinder, the said cylinder beingrevolved in a vat or tank partly submerged in the tanning-liquor, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a sectional end view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional top view of the cylinder. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the fastening-keys. Fig. 4 is 'a detailed view of one of the lags, showing the connection with the heads of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the tank which contains the tanning-liquid. B represents the liquid therein. C is the tanning-cylinder. This cylinder is composed of three (more or` less) heads, D, on the central shaft, E, covered with a succession of bars or lags, F, the ends of which lags are confined in a rabbet in the end heads by the outer bands, G. The lags are loose in the grooves thus formed, and two (more or less of them) are removable. These two are marked H, and are made somewhat shorter than the rest, but are held in position by the pins I. By removing these pins these lags may be moved endwise and taken out.

Each of the lags is supported by the central head, J, bymeans of a hook on its under side, as seen at K, Fig. 4, and each lag is grooved upon one side, as seen at L.

N represents the brads, which are driven or screwed into the side of the lags opposite the groove in the adjoining lag, so that the point of the brad enters the groove, as seen in Fig. 1.

The lags are kept an equal distance from each other by small blocks in the groove of each at their ends.

When the hides are hung in the cylinder, the removable lags are taken out and the hides are hung upon the bra-ds, as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As the hides are `thus suspended, the lags are slipped as near together as they are allowed to go until all have been loaded, when the removable lags are replaced and fastened longitudinally by the pins I, and laterally (all the lags are forced laterally) by means of keys O, more or less in number.

P is a gear-wheel on the cylindershaft. R is a pinion on the driving-shaft. S is the driving-pulley. This driving shaft is supported by the bracket-stand T on the end of the vat or tank A, as seen in Fig. 1.

Motion to the cylinder is imparted by a belt, and is sufficient to give the cylinder about two revolutions per minute.

The cylinder may be revolved in any other manner, if found more convenient or desirable.

It will be seen that all the hides suspended in the cylinder are completely immersed each revolution.

The tanning-liquid is in a constant state of agitation, and its strength is evenly and uniformly distributed, thus insuring a perfect saturation of the hides and uniformity in the quality of the leather.

`Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The tanning-cylinder O, with the lags F, provided with the brads N, movable laterally around the cylinder-heads, and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

JOHN ROBINSON. SAMUEL F. ROBINSON. CHRISTOPHER C. PUTNAM. Witnesses:

G. M. YOUNG, E. STAPLEs. 

